Local News

Two hospitalized in Wachusetts St. burglary, shooting

SITKA, ALASKA Just before 9 PM Monday night (12-20-10) Sitka police responded to a report that a man had been shot in his residence on Wachusetts Street. A second man had also been injured, apparently in a struggle with three masked burglars who were, according to police, “carrying various weapons.”
EMS personnel transported the gunshot victim to Sitka Community Hospital, where he is being treated for a serious wound to his upper left arm. The other injured man was taken to Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital.
The three burglars fled the scene after the encounter and were involved in a single-car traffic accident in the 1100 block of Edgecumbe Drive. Police subsequently apprehended 43-year-old Christopher Bettencourt and his son 21-year-old Jeffrey William Bettencourt at their residence and charged them with Burglary in the First Degree and Assault in the First Degree.
Around 1:30 this afternoon (Tue 12-21-10) Sitka Police arrested 22-year-old Lance Smith on two outstanding $10,000 warrants from Juneau for burglary and forgery. Although Smith has not yet been charged in the case, Sitka Police Chief Sheldon Schmidt says, “We believe we have all our suspects.”
Schmidt adds that this was not a random crime. The victims and the perpetrators in the case are all known to each other. Police are actively investigating additional leads in the incident. –30–

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Last week (Thursday, 3-26-15), a Senate subcommittee proposed zeroing out all funding for domestic violence and sexual assault prevention programs across the state. Among the organizations that would be affected is Sitkans Against Family Violence (SAFV) Sitka’s women’s shelter, which also leads prevention programs for teens and kids. more